The Jelly Bean Game - A Fun Game to Teach Kids About Money Management (2024)

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'The Jelly Bean Game' is a fun way to teach kids about money. Helping kids and teens learn how to manage a budget is so important and this money management game makes it easy to understand!

The Jelly Bean Game - A Fun Game to Teach Kids About Money Management (1)

Hey y'all! I am so excited to share this today. I was asked to teach a lesson to teens about money and how to manage a budget recently, and I immediately knew it couldn't just be a lecture. We needed a good hands-on budgeting game that we could play, so that the kids could practice budgeting and managing money.

This activity went over so well. The teenagers actually told me they felt like they understood how to make their own budget and manage one, when before lessons on that had just gone right over their heads!

I have been budgeting and personal finance nerd since college. When I was given a copy of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover as a wedding gift, it changed my life. Jessica and I even started this blog, first and foremost, as a way to share our budgeting tips and ways that we saved money on every day things!

Check out some of our popular budgeting posts: Basic Budgeting with Printable Worksheets, How to Save Money on Utilities, and Tips for Hosting Guests on a Budget.

Of course, not everyone finds budgeting exciting, but it doesn't have to be scary. I've found that making it fun and interesting is the key to teaching kids about these principles. Plus, if they understand it now, it will come more easily to them when they get older, and they can start their adulthood off on the right track.

Teaching Kids How to Manage a Budget

I found this game called 'The Bean Game' that has been used in finance classes at universities. I loved the concept, but it was outdated (options for renting VHS tapes and having only a landline phone service.) So, I designed something similar that would make sense to teens today.

We played this game after giving a short presentation about the basics of what budgeting actually is, and why it's important. We gave the kids 20 jelly beans each, and they had to figure out how to cover living expenses, both needs AND wants, with the 20 bean per month salary.

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There are boxes for the super necessary living expenses, like housing, transportation, and insurance. There are also boxes for savings, charity, furniture, gifts, clothes and laundry, entertainment, etc!

One of my friends who was there at our activity took it home and played it with his family too! His kids are all 8 years and under, but he said they enjoyed it. They simplified it a little bit, and their kids totally understood the concepts.

I feel so passionate about this subject, so hearing this kind of feedback is the best! If you use this for a youth activity, school lesson, or just at home to teach kids about money, please come back and let me know how it goes!

The Jelly Bean Game - A Fun Game to Teach Kids About Money Management (3)

How to Play the Jelly Bean Game

This game is free for PERSONAL use. Copyright © Pretty Providence 2019.

Click Here to Print the Jelly Bean Game

Plan on about 30 minutes to play this game, including discussion time. If you have a lot of kids playing, break them up into pairs or groups of three to work together. If there are just a few, they can play on their own. Each kid or group will need their own set of worksheets and a snack bag filled with 20 jelly beans.

What you Need

  • Printed Copies of The Jelly Bean Game

  • Snack Bags

  • Jelly Beans

Prepare Before

  • Print copies of The Jelly Bean Game, either one per person or enough so that kids can do it in small groups of two or three.

  • Fill snack bags with 20 jelly beans each.

  • Read instructions on the first page of the Jelly Bean Game and discuss the questions after each round.

I hope you love this game as much as we do! For more budgeting tips and ideas, check out our budget page.

The Jelly Bean Game - A Fun Game to Teach Kids About Money Management (4)

The Jelly Bean Game

The Jelly Bean Game is a fun game that helps teach teens and kids about money management and how to make a budget!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Active Time: 0 minutes minutes

Game Play: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Author: Pretty Providence

Cost: $5

Equipment

  • Printed Copies of The Jelly Bean Game

  • Snack Bags

Materials

  • Jelly Beans

Instructions

  • Print copies of The Jelly Bean Game, either one per person or enough so that kids can do it in small groups of two or three.

  • Fill snack bags with 20 jelly beans each.

  • Read instructions on the first page of the Jelly Bean Game and discuss the questions after each round.

Notes

The Jelly Bean Game is free for personal use. Copyright © Pretty Providence 2019.

Did you make this?Mention @prettyprovidenceblog or tag #prettyprovidence!

xo,

The Jelly Bean Game - A Fun Game to Teach Kids About Money Management (5)

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The Jelly Bean Game - A Fun Game to Teach Kids About Money Management (2024)

FAQs

How do you teach kids about money games? ›

Use a combination of online games, classic board games and homemade games to help your kids develop great money habits.
  1. The Penny Game. ...
  2. The Bean Game. ...
  3. Hit the Road. ...
  4. When Will You be a Millionaire? ...
  5. The Allowance Game. ...
  6. Monopoly. ...
  7. The Game of Life.

How do you play the bean game? ›

Together, decide how to spend your 25 beans to get what you think your family needs and put the appropriate number of beans beside each choice. As you talk, you can move your beans from one category to another until everyone agrees. You are not required to use every category if you don't feel the need to.

What did you learn about yourself and your values around money through the process of cutting down your budget? ›

Cutting down a budget teaches you about your money values and could lead to behavior changes that align with your long-term goals. Tools like the PACED model and experiences from budgeting simulations like Spent can enhance financial planning skills and highlight the importance of understanding living wages.

What is jelly bean guessing game? ›

Guess the Jellybeans is a classic fundraiser, simple to set up and very popular with kids. For a small price, people are asked to guess how many jellybeans are in a large jar. The guess closest to the correct number is the winner and gets to take the jar home.

How do you run a jelly bean Guessing competition? ›

Jelly Bean Guessing Competition Count them first, then fill a jar with jelly beans or other lollies. Display the jar at work and ask everyone for $2 per guess. The winner wins the jar! Chocolate Drive Organise boxes of chocolates from a chocolate company to sell at your workplace.

How do you play manage your money game? ›

The object of the game is to have the most money at the end of the game, which is over after as many months as the players decide on. Players may start or add to their savings only on Pay Day. Players may withdraw all or part of their savings only on Pay Day (if the player wishes to withdraw at another time).

How do play for money games work? ›

The way money-earning games work varies depending on the game type. For instance, some games pay players for completing surveys, while others offer rewards for watching videos or playing games. In some cases, players can earn virtual currency or points, which can be converted to real money.

What is money lesson for kids? ›

for school-age children

Identify and understand the differences between the appearances and values of coins. Understand how much money is needed to purchase an item and how to count change. Understand that money lost will not be replaced. Understand that things cost money.

What is the bean game for kids? ›

The Bean Game

Jumping Beans - children jump into spaces. Kidney Beans - children (kids) hop around holding onto a knee. Baked Beans - children lay flat on their backs as if they are baking in the sun. Broad Beans - children move around making broad shapes with their bodies.

What is the bean game? ›

Each individual/group receives 20 beans and a set of spending category sheets. The individual/group must decide how to spend their “income” based on life circ*mstances, values and goals. Each item has a set number of squares which indicates how many beans are needed to “pay” for that item.

What is the best way to learn about money? ›

Ways to learn about money
  1. Talk with a professional. A financial coach, counselor or other expert can help you figure out where to start and what to prioritize. ...
  2. Or chat with friends and community members. ...
  3. Try quizzes, apps and spreadsheets. ...
  4. Review your finances and set goals.
Apr 4, 2022

What is the most important step in controlling your money? ›

Create a budget

It will take a little effort, but it's a great way to get a quick snapshot of the money you have coming in and going out. Setting up a budget helps you keep track of your money, so you to when you can spend and how to avoid going into the red.

What are the rules for Beanboozled? ›

The game is designed so that two Jelly Belly jelly beans look IDENTICAL but have VERY different flavors. For example, a brown Jelly Belly may be Chocolate Pudding but it may also be Canned Dog Food. The catch is that there is absolutely no way to tell–not by color or smell. You won't know until you bite into the candy.

How do you play jelly bean Jumble? ›

Jelly bean cards are laid out in front of the players. All players roll simultaneously and try to quickly grab a card matching the jelly beans they rolled. If a player rolls a wild, then they may grab a jelly bean card from another player. The winner is the player who grabs the most jelly bean cards.

How does the bean Boozled challenge work? ›

Tell the students that they will each get to taste some jellybeans and they have to guess the flavours. Pass around the jellybeans in little cups, ask the students to taste each bean (going colour by colour, one at a time), when you say so and have them guess the flavour.

How do you teach the jelly bean Prayer? ›

To teach The Jelly Bean Prayer to your kids, start by reading it to them. As you read it aloud, give them a jelly bean of each color as you share the symbolism of each one. Afterwards, have them teach it back to you. For each line they recite, they receive a bean of that color.

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